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Mono - One Step More and You Die CD (album) cover

ONE STEP MORE AND YOU DIE

Mono

 

Post Rock/Math rock

3.84 | 45 ratings

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Philo
Prog Reviewer
3 stars Obviously Mono were influenced by what Mogwai were doing, because I think if Mono hadn't Mogwai to look at for inspiration they simply may not have existed at all. Perhaps that may come across as somewhat too critical, but in the context of things I believe it to be a fair statement. The wave of contemporary progressive rock bands, or post rock acts as they are more constantly referred to, seem to have issues when it comes to progression. Perhaps not Godspeed You! Black Emperor to a degree, or to another extent Mogwai, but that lacking of progression is definitely vivid with Mono as they mimic and repeat to great effect. And it is only when playing their back catalogue in a chronological manner does this ring though. One Step More and You Die is the Japanese bands second full length effort, and it is a decent slab of melancholic ideas, and drones, and it leaves their more recent work in the post rock rip off shade, because they have of late being running out of ideas and running the same post rock thing down. One More Step And You Die has more depth, and is simply more interesting. The album has enough variation to keep the listener interested. It would even appear that the band had much more to give at this early stage but in the context of the bands output, at least up until You Are There, this is probably Mono's peak moment. Sometimes it sounds too much like Mogwai for its own good, and may just lack some identity, some Japanese identity maybe? But Mono produce the goods to make the album something worthy all the while. What exactly? Who knows. I certainly enjoy One More Step And You Die, but like much of the post rock world it is derivative, often repetitive and screams bandwagon jumper. Post rock can hardly be progressive because it so often sounds the same and swarms around the same emotive over and over to the point of overkill. But hey, a decent enough album. But the more I delve into this post rock movement the thinner and more shallow it becomes. Like a place that can look enticing on a postcard but not all that fantastic when actually there for a period, and just like other places you have been. A touch more than three stars.
Philo | 3/5 |

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